I really have no idea what to do. Lights/Nutrients.

[Juka087]

Hey Guys

So I have a nuvo 10. I have had it for 4 months or so. I ran it up until just 2 days ago with a kessil a80. It was set to 100% Blue 100% intensity for 10 hours per day. However I noticed, and other people did as well that all of my zoas were reaching. Also the look of the zoas had degraded heavily during the time in the tank. I decided to try a new light to see what improvements could be made. I purchased a aquaknight via amazon. It is 30 watt vs the 15 watt a80. I turned it to 70% blue, and 10% white. Running it for 10 hours daily. After 2 days I noticed my mushroom losing bubbles, and it looks like my top zoas losing skirt. Also during my weekly testing. I have 2 nitrate, and my hannah phosphate ulr checker is pulling a 0. I have been having results of .02 phosphates for a week or two, but it seems to have bottomed out. I am very concerned about the health of my corals, and I do not want to lose anything. I can not beleive that the nutrients in the tank are so low as I feed a quarter cube of mysis every other day, and a 1/8 teaspoon reefroids 2 times per week. can anyone suggest what type of setting I should put this light on, and just leave it. Also would you feed the tank more or would you dose nutrients at this point. Stop water changes until rise? I just no idea were to go from here.

Tank Parameters

Nuvo 10

7.5 Gallons Water
Alk 10.4
Phopshate 0
Salinity 1.026
Nitrates 2
Temp 79

Return Pump=sicce .5
Light=Hipargero Aquaknight
Ato=Auto Aqua AWC

Here are pics of my corals this morning during lights out. Lights will turn on at 11 am.

 

[Shirak]

Any livestock other than the corals? Some snails to clean the rocks and glass and reprocess the algae into nutrients in the water might help. I would turn the light down to 50% and start there which should be about where the other light was in power level. Then increase slowly from there.. maybe 5% every couple weeks or so. I would also consider feeding a little more. Are you target feeding the mysis? They are pretty chunky food. What are you using for filtration?

 

[sixty_reefer]

You will need to increase po4, I can see dinoflagellates starting to bloom. (Brown algae)

 

[Juka087]

You will need to increase po4, I can see dinoflagellates starting to bloom. (Brown algae)

How can I do that easily?

 

[Juka087]

Any livestock other than the corals? Some snails to clean the rocks and glass and reprocess the algae into nutrients in the water might help. I would turn the light down to 50% and start there which should be about where the other light was in power level. Then increase slowly from there.. maybe 5% every couple weeks or so. I would also consider feeding a little more. Are you target feeding the mysis? They are pretty chunky food. What are you using for filtration?

Filtration is one filter floss pad, and a large amount of seachem matrix bio media. There is one purple fire fish in the tank.

 

[sixty_reefer]

How can I do that easily?

You could try and feed more, and stop using any po4 media if you have any.

 

[Juka087]

You could try and feed more, and stop using any po4 media if you have any.

The only filtration I have is a filter floss pad and seachem matrix bio media

 

[sixty_reefer]

The only filtration I have is a filter floss pad and seachem matrix bio media

Try and increase feeding for now, are you planning on adding more fish? If you do now would be a good time. If not ati does nutrition p, basically phosphate in a bottle.

 

[Juka087]

Try and increase feeding for now, are you planning on adding more fish? If you do now would be a good time. If not ati does nutrition p, basically phosphate in a bottle.

I plan to yes but I am not sure what would go well with my firefish hes really shy. I do not want to stress him out.

 

[LC8Sumi]

I’d run more whites (60% on kessils) during the day, and go blue only when you want to look at the tank.

 

[Juka087]

So youd suggest just going back to the a80

 

[LC8Sumi]

I suggest using more white during most of the photoperiod

 

[Juka087]

I suggest using more white during most of the photoperiod

So maybe do 50% blue 10% white on the 30 watt aquaknight

 

[LC8Sumi]

By more I mean a lot more. Like 50% blue 50% white. It looks ugly, but I believe it is needed for zoas/lps/softies.